Assistant Operations Officer

The Function

Background

Nice crested newts have declined dramatically within the UK over the past 50 years and though
nonetheless widespread throughout lowland England they’re now not widespread. Regardless of safety below UK
and European wildlife regulation, numbers are nonetheless declining, and habitat loss is their largest
risk.

In 2018 the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme was launched – arrange in partnership with
nationwide freshwater and amphibian Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in addition to seven
planning authorities throughout the South Midlands. Since then, the Scheme has expanded nationally
and now covers over 60 planning authorities throughout Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire,
East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire,
Staffordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.

The Scheme permits planning authorities to authorise (below strictly outlined phrases) actions
that have an effect on nice crested newts concurrently they grant planning permission. The
District Licensing Scheme has vital benefits for newt conservation and wider
biodiversity advantages by a totally funded region-wide conservation methods that creates
high-quality habitat at a panorama scale and delivers long-term administration and monitoring for
newts, which is delivered through our companions at the Newt Conservation
Partnership. The scheme advantages builders as a result of the licensing course of for excellent crested
newts is simplified and streamlined.

NatureSpace additionally works with nationwide infrastructure suppliers, reminiscent of Community Rail, to assist
them safe and ship ‘Organisational Licences’ for protected species with the identical
conservation deliverables. The schemes are administered by NatureSpace, are regulated and
accepted by Pure England, and are supported by the nation’s main amphibian and
freshwater NGOs – the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Trust and Freshwater Habitats Trust.

The NatureSpace Operations Staff

The Operations Staff presently consists of 13 county-based District Licensing Officers, who’re
employed to help planning authorities within the areas coated by the District Licensing Scheme (as
listed above). The workforce are accountable for offering neutral feedback on planning
functions, delivering coaching to the planning authorities and serving to them with the
related paperwork, monitoring compliance and collating data for reporting yearly to
Pure England. The workforce is led by the Operations Supervisor.

It is a new full-time assistant function inside the workforce and can be line managed by the Senior
Operations Officer.

We’re in search of a brand new member of the workforce who’s well-organised, a superb communicator and is
in a position to perform important admin and different supporting duties to enhance effectivity. While
expertise of nice crested newts and different ecological expertise are welcomed, that is an
alternative for somebody to deliver a variety of different expertise, information and expertise to the workforce
to assist us to repeatedly enhance our providers, processes and outcomes.

Key tasks

• Helping the Operations Staff with a wide range of work as essential, together with
  administration, communications, knowledge entry, organising conferences, taking assembly notes, updating
  and monitoring progress in direction of implementation key actions within the workforce plan and wider firm
  tasks as required.
• Offering help and help to the Operations Staff as and when required, together with
  important vacation cowl and supporting District Licensing Officers throughout busy occasions.
• Assist with the preparation, evaluation and supply of coaching to planning authorities,
  together with organising coaching classes and serving to to design shows.
• Assist to make sure that necessary information are saved up-to-date and help with the High quality
  Assurance course of to take care of high-quality knowledge.
• Assist to organize, evaluation and disseminate steerage to the workforce and different key documentation.
• Facilitate the sharing of finest observe amongst the workforce and the broader firm as an entire.
• Organise workforce conferences, take notes and observe up on progress in direction of agreed actions.
• Help with challenge administration.
• Assist to handle contact data.
• Assist to make sure that Well being and Security necessities are met inside the workforce.
• Guarantee efficient inner communications and information-sharing inside the firm at
  giant.
• Present help to others inside the firm as wanted, for instance, firm challenge admin
  help, organising conferences or particular work duties/tasks.

Important expertise, information, and expertise

• Related diploma in ecology, environmental administration, wildlife conservation, planning,
  geography or one other related topic
• Good stage of understanding of environmental evaluation, biodiversity conservation,
  protected species and licensing
• Good stage of understanding of the function that native planning authorities play in making
  selections about new developments in England
• Good IT expertise and competent in utilizing Microsoft 365 package deal, together with Phrase, Excel, Groups,
  Outlook and PowerPoint
• Efficient communicator with good inter-personal expertise, in a position to liaise proactively and
  confidently with a variety of individuals
• Organised, self-motivated and skill to work independently with day-day supervision
• In a position to deal with distant working with restricted alternatives for in-person conferences and
  occasions all year long (e.g. firm days)
• Good time administration and skill to prioritise work duties

Fascinating expertise, information, and expertise

• An enthusiasm for wildlife, ecology and conservation within the UK
• Good challenge administration expertise and/or expertise in supporting a challenge workforce
• An understanding of Miro Boards
• Good stage of expertise in knowledge administration and High quality Assurance processes
• UK driving licence

Firm tradition, employment advantages and site

NatureSpace Partnership is a small (c.47 employees) however busy and quickly rising firm. Being a
small organisation, everybody has a giant say in what we do and the way we do it. Our agility and measurement
imply that your voice might be heard, and you should have the chance to immediately see the
outcomes of your work.

Work/life steadiness is necessary to us. We actively help versatile working association in order that
our work matches in with our lives and we’re open to exploring how this function may finest work for
you.

The profitable candidate/s might be becoming a member of a pleasant, close-working workforce of home-workers and
could have accountability for managing their workload and dealing independently as a part of a
dispersed nationwide workforce. The publish requires excessive ranges of motivation and excessive requirements of
self-management. Location is versatile inside England – this publish might be primarily
desk-based however some travelling to conferences could also be required. You’d ideally be positioned inside
or as much as an hour’s drive from one of many counties that’s coated by the District Licensing
Scheme (as listed above).

NatureSpace embraces equal alternatives, range and inclusion and we welcome functions
from all suitably certified and skilled people. To construct a workforce of probably the most proficient
workers, NatureSpace is dedicated to being a versatile employer and we place appreciable
emphasis on wellbeing and job satisfaction.

We provide a big advantages package deal for all employees together with versatile working with an
prolonged 4-day working week trial throughout 2024, time off-in-lieu (TOIL) or additional time pay (in
settlement along with your line supervisor), 20 annual depart days (which equates to 5-weeks off per 12 months
in gentle of the 4-day working week, plus financial institution holidays, weekday birthdays and extra
vacation over the Christmas interval), an annual efficiency bonus of as much as 20% of your pay,
firm pension contributions, firm non-public well being and life insurance coverage, plus the choice to
be a part of our electrical automobile wage sacrifice scheme. Candidates should have the authorized proper to stay
and work within the UK.

Full time (32hrs/wk), 1-year Mounted Time period Contract (with the expectation of the function turning into
everlasting after one 12 months). Half-time or job share can be thought-about for the correct candidate(s).

*Notice concerning the prolonged 4-day working week trial

In 2023, NatureSpace trialled a gold customary 4-day working week. This trial has been prolonged
for an extra 12-months from 1st January 2024. Whereas the end result of the trial has not but been
concluded, it’s doable that this is able to develop into customary working observe sooner or later. The
present working hours are due to this fact 32 hours per week, Monday to Thursday.

Deadline for functions: 9am on Wednesday tenth April 2024

Interview dates: You can be notified by Wednesday seventeenth April 2024 when you’ve got
been chosen for interview. Interviews are more likely to be held week commencing twenty second April 2024

Anticipated begin date: 1st June 2024